Entity

Along with fellow Yorkshireman Pete Livesey, Ron Fawcett was one of the key players that transformed rock-climbing in the 1970s from an almost completely amateur activity into one with a significant professional component. His first new climb, Mulatto Wall at Malham Cove, was completed when he was just 15 and came in at the weighty grade of E3. By the middle of the decade Ron had stepped out of the shadow of his former mentor and was smashing mental and physical barriers with his routes and high-standard athleticism. From then on he dominated top-end climbing in Yorkshire and Derbyshire, as well as making significant contributions to the cliffs of Wales, and occasional forays to other parts of the country. Fawcett was also a pioneer of commercial sponsorship in rock climbing and was one of the first climbers to be regularly featured in climbing films and enthusiast videos.
Standout climbs: Slip ‘n;’ Slide (E6 6a), Crookrise, Yorkshire; Tequila Mocking Bird (E6 6b) Chee Tor, Derbys; The Prow (E6 6b) Raven’s Tor; Lord of the Flies (E6 6a), Cromlech, Snowdonia; Strawberries (E6 6b), Tremadog, North Wales; The Cad (E5, 6a) Gogarth, Anglesey.